Padres CEO Jeff Moorad said Tuesday that the Padres’ 2012 payroll “will start with a five,” with the eventual “resting place” over the next five years being $70 million.

Moorad discussed Padres ownership and operations while saying there is nothing to rumors that the group he leads will soon complete its purchase of the Padres from John Moores.

“Nothing is imminent,” Moorad said of his group’s timed purchase of the Padres, which can be completed any time between now and the spring of 2014.

“We hope to get something done well before the five-year schedule expires,” Moorad continued. “But there is an owners’ meeting in Cooperstown (N.Y.) next week and we are not on the agenda.”

The Padres’ local TV contract expires after the current season, and Moorad said the next — and yet unannounced — “broadcast agreement will set the tone for the Padres payroll over the next five years.”

“Our long-term goal is to operate at $70 million,” Moorad continued. “When we get there, we’ll be properly balanced.”

The Padres’ final payroll this season will be around $45 million, meaning Moorad is committed to at least an 11 percent increase in 2012.

But the Padres have already committed $10.75 million to the middle infield combination of Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson, have a $5 million mutual option on Aaron Harang, owe Brad Hawpe a $1 million buyout and will have as many as 10 arbitration-eligible players, including Chase Headley, Tim Stauffer and Chris Denorfia at the second-year level.

That doesn’t include what Heath Bell could receive if he remains a Padre.

Moorad said the Padres won’t be a big player in the free agent market as part of the CEO’s overall plan for the organization.

The product on the field will be built from within. And the club will be run as “a break-even business.”

“We’re going to run an efficient business on and off the field,” said the CEO. “The team is going to be homegrown. I’m consistent. We’re not going to be shifting our priorities from year. The plan won’t change.

“I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen. This is a building year, not a rebuilding year. A lot of pieces have been added to the foundation.”

On the business end, Moorad reiterated his ownership group will put all revenue generated by the Padres back into the club and Petco Park.

“We’re committed to running the Padres as a business,” said Moorad, whose group reached an agreement to purchase the Padres from Moores in the spring of 2009 with a “buyer-advantaged structure” that gave the new group five years to complete the deal.

“The goal every year is to break even,” said Moorad. “No profit, no loss. There is a budget every year. That budget will not have a loss. At the same time, no one in the ownership group will be taking any profit out of the club.

“As revenues increase, profits will flow back into the club and ballpark improvements. We will operate at break-even every year. If we create more revenue, we will spend more.